DefenseDelegates grapple with AI, seabed security and regional flashpoints as China keeps low profileMaj. Gen. Meng Xiangqing of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), led the Chinese delegation to this year's Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. © ReutersMAI NGUYEN and DYLAN LOHJune 1, 2026 09:57 JSTSINGAPORE -- In some respects, the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's top defense conference that concluded on Sunday, was rather dull. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took a more restrained tone on Taiwan and China than previously even as Beijing again skipped sending its defense minister.